


Shifting Paradigms

by ladysekhmetka



Category: Homestuck, Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Background Character Death, Crossover, Fluff and Smut, Humanstuck, M/M, Rare Pairings, substitute piloting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-21
Updated: 2014-04-21
Packaged: 2018-01-20 06:25:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1500056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladysekhmetka/pseuds/ladysekhmetka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the pilots of the Jaeger Null Polarity suddenly retire, the commander of the Los Angeles Shatterdome decides to seek out replacements among its ground crew. Equius, lead mechanic and engineer, learns more about the lead programmer Sollux than he would care for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Play Movie ->

**Author's Note:**

  * For [perniciousLizard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/perniciousLizard/gifts).



> Special thanks to my co-worker Tanya for being my editor, beta reader and source for the Korean in this fic.

“Now that you are both here, let's get started,” said the commander of the Los Angeles Shatterdome, affectionately called 'Doc Scratch' because no one could pronounce his Eastern European last name without mangling it. He sat at his desk, a wide blackened wood affair that took up a good portion of the pristine, neat office.

Sollux Captor slouched in a rather uncomfortable chair on the other side of the desk, arms crossed over some t-shirt from a Korean MMO (sent to him by his cousins in Seoul) and glanced over to his left where the lead engineer of the Null Polarity's ground crew also sat in an equally uncomfortable chair. Equius Zahhak was an uptight, self contained man and you could see it in every inch of his well muscled body. He was tall, one of the few people that Sollux had to look up at to meet his eyes. He was easy to tease and fluster, an activity that Sollux enjoyed immensely; seeing the handsome Egyptian-American man stutter and sweat was one of his favorite past times.

“With Dianna and Simon leaving active service, we find ourselves short two pilots for the Null Polarity.” Scratch said, leaning forward to fold his hands on the desk between him and his two underlings. “And we don't have any Rangers in training that will be ready any time soon.”

“Did the younger Strider and his dorky friend get assigned somewhere else?” Sollux asked, confused. The last he heard, the two in question were still without a Jaeger and causing all kinds of trouble.

“Kodiak finished a new Jaeger two weeks ago, which you would know if you came out of your office more often,” Equius said pointedly.

Sollux made a face at him and a mental note to do something irritating to his computer. Scratch sighed and said, “Those two are cooling their heels in Anchorage as we speak, so I had to get a little creative with finding new pilots.”

A horrified glance was shared between Sollux and Equius. While their personal relationship was a bit antagonistic, they were both on the same page when it came to the Jaeger they cared for. “What do you mean, sir?” Equius asked.

“Since the Null Polarity has all kinds of 'special' modifications,” - and here Scratch gave a glaring glance at the two of them- “I decided it would be for the best to have Miss Leijon check its ground crew for people with Drift compatibility.”

Sollux felt himself relax; it was true that between Equius and himself, the Null Polarity was the most efficient but temperamental Jaeger in the LA Shatterdome. Dianna and Simon had both joked about how the Polarity was like a spoiled child in comparison to the other Jaegers. Having the new pilots be someone from the crew, already familiar with the machine's quirks, was a huge relief. “So, who came up on the top of the list?” Sollux asked.

Scratch smiled and spread his hands like a priest in church. “Well, it would seem that congratulations are in order, because the top two candidates are you two.”

Sollux felt his jaw drop open and could see Equius do the same out of the corner of his eye in reaction to the news. “What? No way we're compatible!” Sollux exclaimed.

“Do you doubt Miss Leijon's work?” Scratch asked, cool and calm.

Sollux was aware of the sharp, disapproving glance from Equius; the older man saw Nepeta as the daughter he never had. He shifted, fingers twitching on his arms, and hurriedly said, “No, no, of course not. It's just that we're like the two most different people on the crew. We don't have anything in common.”

“I highly doubt that, Mr. Captor,” Scratch replied.

Sollux couldn't imagine it at all and stood suddenly, leaning over the neatly arranged desktop. “I can't, Doc. I'm sorry, but I don't want this stuffy, overbearing asshole in my head.” He turned to Equius and sheepishly said, “No offense.”

Equius made a sour face and sharply replied, “None taken. I don't want some foul mouthed deviant in my head, so we're even.”

“Sit down, Mister Captor,” Scratch ordered, clearly not caring that Sollux was looming over him. Sollux balled his fists and sat down. “I can understand your reluctance, both of you, but the world needs you to step up, gentleman.”

“I don't care,” Sollux sulked. “Find someone else to pilot Polarity with EQ; I'm a computer specialist, not a Ranger.”

“Mister Captor, do I need to remind you of the circumstances of your employment here?” Scratch asked quietly, looking quite smug. “If you don't do this, you will find yourself out of the PPDC.”

Sollux paled at the threat. He was only a free man because of this job; being fired would surely result in his immediate imprisonment and then his older brother and sister-in-law would be on the streets or worse. “You wouldn't...” he whispered.

“I would if it meant your cooperation, Mister Captor.” Scratch replied evenly, eyes not leaving his. Sollux frowned but looked away in defeat. “Doctor Zahhak?”

Equius was frowning and he breathed in steadily before saying, “I can't, sir.”

Sollux's mouth dropped open in surprise. Usually, Equius followed Scratch's orders with slavish devotion. “Can't or won't?” Scratch asked, “And if I say that you won't have a job here as well?”

Sollux watched emotions dance across Equius's face before the other man settled on mulish determination. “Then I suppose I should start packing my things, sir. I can be cleared out within two days. Strider should be able to take over for me. If that's all, sir, I should start getting my personal effects together.”

He stood without waiting for Scratch's response and walked out. Sollux blinked and stared at the suddenly empty chair; he had never seen Equius act so insubordinate before in the whole four years they had been working together. His mind couldn't quite wrap around what had just happened. “Well, that was surprising,” Scratch said and pursed his lips. “Mister Captor?”

Sollux yanked his gaze back to the commander and nervously said, “Yes?”

“Do try to talk some sense into Doctor Zahhak. Miss Leijon was very clear that there were very few other options for alternate pilots. It would be in your best interest that he come around.”

His mismatched eyes meet the cool gaze of Scratch, and Sollux felt the shiver travel down his entire spine. “Yeth, thir,” he said, his usually controlled lisp slipping out through his nervousness. He stood carefully and bowed with more fear than respect before clearing out of the room like it was on fire.

Sollux paused in the dimly lit hallway outside Scratch's office, breathing in the metal scented air of the Shatterdome as he leaned againts the wall. Trying to breath, he felt trapped by the sudden realization that he was going to have to share his memories with someone in a very intimate way and with someone he actually felt some kind of masochistic attraction too. It was better than the alternative though.

He managed to police his thoughts and feelings after a moment and pushed off from the wall. If Equius had gone to pack his things right away, then he should be in his personal workshop and office in the crew pit of the Polarity. The workaholic spent more time there than in the quarters assigned to him, so that was the mostly likely place for him to be.

Walking across the Shatterdome bay was a good ten minute hike, but it was a chance to organize his thoughts. He glanced up at the black and white plating of the Null Polarity as he passed under it. He wondered if he could talk the crew into putting some red and blue trim on it again, if just to get the inevitable reaction from Equius. He paused at the top of the stairs that lead down into the pit. For once, it was unusually quiet and only a handful of crew members were about. He stepped down into the pit proper and saw through plexiglass panes that Equius was indeed in his office.

Sollux didn't bother to knock, and just opened the door to walk into the space of neatly arranged clutter. It was far neater than his own space but couldn't hold a candle to Scratch's, no one could match that neat freak. Equius was flipping through a stack of journals, separating them into two piles on some unknown criteria. “Hey, EQ,” Sollux said as he took an empty folding chair and sat backwards in it facing the other man.

Equius didn't even look up from his journal arranging. “I'm not going to pilot the Polarity with you Captor. Not with you, not with anyone else.” He tossed another journal on the larger of the two stacks. “You cannot change my mind.”

Sollux made a irritated face. “Oh, that's fine, just assume that's why I'm here, to talk you into sharing brain space with me. You're such an asshole.”

“Language, Captor,” Equius replied as he finally looked up at Sollux. He managed to look far older than the thirty eight years Sollux knew he had. “Isn't that the reason you're here though?”

Sollux picked up a picture frame, one that he'd seen countless times, with a pretty woman he knew to be Equius's dead wife. Equius snatched it out of his hands and put it back on his desk. “Whatever,” he replied flippantly, leaning back to look at the ceiling, “I guess I should pack my stuff too, not like I'll have a chance to use it if I end up getting fired. I guess I can just give it to RX for her to use.”

“I'm sure that Miss Lalonde would appreciate the gift,” Equius said, turning back to the stack of journals. “You are not going to change my mind.” He placed another journal on the tall stack, but it was off balance and the whole stack came tumbling down in a massive chain reaction. “Dammit!” he swore, then clapped a hand over his mouth in surprise.

“Ehehe, language!” Sollux snickered at him. He stood up to help the poor flustered man pick up the mess. “Face it, EQ, you're going to miss me if you leave.”

“Not likely,” Equius replied with a glare. “I will no longer have to deal with your inappropriate jokes, your outrageous flirting or your constant needling. I welcome the chance at peace and quiet, maybe I can get more work done.”

Sollux grabbed another journal. “Please, don't even try to pull that shit on me,” he said with a biting tone.

He scooted over with the journals, getting close and personal with the other man. Equius froze the moment Sollux got into his personal space and tried to inch away from him. “You're grasping at straws,” he replied quietly.

“Am I?” Sollux asked, peering up with a grin. He was fairly certain that the other man actually didn't mind his company and was just putting on a strong front. “You could have requested a transfer at any time in the last four years, or reported my 'boorish behavior' to Personnel at anytime.” He grinned as Equius started to sweat and twitched away from him. “What other objections do you have to staying?”

Equius paused in his cleaning. “Well... I have a doctorate in Engineering and I've been the lead of the Null Polarity's crew since it was commissioned! It's a waste of my talents to have me pilot it!”

“Oh, it's a waste of your talents, but not mine?” Sollux asked as he shoved the stack of journals into Equius's chest. “I've written every line of code personally for Polarity, and rewritten a good portion of every other Jaeger's in this Dome. I got this job after showing the PPDC how shitty their computer security was! Do you really think Scratch would strip us from our support roles if he had any other choice?”

Equius nearly dropped the journals in his arms, but the mulish look stayed on his face. “Don't be obtuse, Captor,” he growled back, “They could get any two fools to pilot a Jaeger.”

“Not for Polarity, and you know it.” Sollux leaned in so they were face to face, tension high. “She's special, and a special lady like her needs smart, special pilots. You know they can't get just any two grunts up to speed in time to pilot her properly before the next Kaiju attack. It would take months. We know her better than anyone else besides Dianna and Simon and they aren't coming back after the baby is born.” Equius's stern expression wavered and he looked away sheepishly. “Do it, Equius. I know that you don't care for my personality, but we can both be adults about this.”

Equius blinked and then started to laugh loudly. Sollux frowned, hurt at the sudden laughter; he didn't think it was that funny. Equius tried to control himself visibly. “My apologies, but hearing that come from your lips was amusing. I never thought you would be telling me to act like an adult.”

“Ugh, don't be an asshole,” Sollux replied as he sat back on his heels.

Equius pursed his lips at the curse word, but just replied, “I guess you're right... I don't mind your presence as much as I may claim.”

Sollux pretended to fall over in shock, making sure to not disturb any other stacks. “So are you going to stay then?” Sollux asked casually. “At least give it a day or two and see how it goes?”

Equius sighed, stacked the journals neatly and stood before offering a hand to help Sollux up. Sollux took it and found himself standing with little visible effort on Equius's part. “Maybe. Let me sleep on it.” At Sollux's victorious grin, he admonished, “That is not a yes, Captor.”

Sollux smugly grinned. “It's not a 'no' either, Zahhak. See you in the morning.”

~.~  


When Equius woke up the following day, there was a message from Scratch asking him to present himself in the training room after breakfast if he had changed his mind. He deleted the message without a second thought and stood up from his desk with a stretch. He decided he would walk around the pit before getting food and think on it.

Most of the crew was probably already in the mess hall, but one or two stragglers were still around, some of them clearly coming off shift and getting ready for some rest. He greeted most of them as he walked through the area. He paused at the top of the stairs that connected the pit with the rest of the hanger and looked up at his greatest contribution to society.

Sollux was right. He would miss this if he left. The PPDC and the Jaeger program was his everything; something to distract himself from the gaping hole in his heart that use to be his wife. Could he really throw away the last seven years of his life?

He was still unsure after breakfast, but with no other options to help with making that decision, he decided to at least see where it would go. He found himself at the entrance to the training room. There was a crowd of people stretching and sparing in the room; the pilots of the other two Jaegers, the trainers, a few of the more athletically inclined support staff. Scratch was talking intently with Sollux, who didn't look to be thrilled to be there and was wearing something that looked like a martial arts uniform.

Sollux was the first to notice him standing in the doorway and grinned, causing Scratch to look his way. They walked over, one predatory and the other cheerful. “Doctor Zahhak, I'm glad to see that you've changed your mind.” Scratch said with an easy smile.

“Maybe,” Equius replied firmly, glaring at Sollux.

“Maybe,” Sollux echoed mockingly under his breath with a laugh.

“Well, I hope that you are not opposed to a little training then,” Scratch replied, “We can't wait while you make up your mind.”

“I don't mind,” Equius replied with a nod. He didn't have much else to do since the Polarity was already in perfect combat condition. “I reserve the right to change my mind though.”

Scratch smiled and Equius suddenly felt that maybe it was already too late to back out. “Excellent, let's get started. We need to get you two up to speed as quickly as possible.”

He turned waving his hands at everyone and the central mat started to clear. “Are we sparing each other?” Equius asked Sollux, “I didn't know you knew how to fight.”

Sollux rolled his eyes and flipped him off. “Don't make assumptions,” he muttered as he started to stretch at the edge of the mat. “Just because I'm obviously a nerd, doesn't mean I don't know how to fight. How rude.”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Equius shot back, his voice sarcastic, “Next time I'll be extra rude and call you Jackie Chan instead, because surely all Asians know kung-fu.”

Sollux bent forward to touch his toes, bending his slender form in surprisingly interesting ways, and laughed. “Sure, and I'll just ask if you know any way of fighting besides blowing shit up.”

Equius decided to reply to him seriously. “I know a bit of boxing and Muay Thai actually.”

Sollux made a face as he started to press into a split. He didn't get very close to the ground before he stopped. “I'm so out of practice... haven't been inside a dojang since...” and he suddenly became very quiet and his expression distant.

“Captor?”

Startled, Sollux nearly fell forward before regaining his balance. He pushed out of the partial split. “Well, I know a bit of hapkido, but I haven't practiced since 2013, so I'm a little bit rusty. Don't expect any crazy fifth degree stunts.”

Equius frowned in thought; that was the year of that first Kaiju attack. “So, are we sparring each other?”

“Oh no,” Sollux replied with a wry grin, “We going to have everyone in the dojang coming at us in groups. We're fighting together.”

“Dojang?” Equius asked, confused.

Sollux waved his hand dismissively. “Korean for 'training hall', sorry. Are you ready to get trashed?”

Equius grinned and kicked off his shoes. “I find your attitude unacceptable, Captor. What happened to not making assumptions? We might hold our own.”

Sollux paused in his arm stretches and flipped him off. Equius was going to break that finger if he didn't stop. “Screw you, EQ. Haven't you seen those lame American martial arts movies? This is the part where we have our asses handed to us so we can swear to work harder and train until our brains melt from misuse. I should know, I've been forced to sit through enough of them.”

One of the trainers was walking by and handed Equius a pair of gloves. He pulled them on; they had just enough padding to keep his hands safe. “Your brother make you watch them?” he asked, remember the slightly older man that Sollux had been on Skype with a few weeks ago.

“Ha!” Sollux replied, “No, Hyung- uh, Mituna likes those stupid prank comedies with the dumb asses hurting themselves. It was a high school friend. He thought it was hilarious, the asshole. At least his stupid romantic comedies were slightly better... barely.”

“You two ready?” Scratch interrupted. “We haven't got all day after all.”

Sollux grinned and held out a fist. “Ready to do this?”

Equius sighed before letting a little smile form on his lips and carefully tapping his own fist to Sollux's. “Let's go get trashed.”

~.~  


They were suited up, spinal clamps and helmets in place, standing in place, waiting for the final countdown before the A.I. of the Polarity initiated the Drift sequence. Sollux winced as he shifted, a bruise from the morning's practice making itself know on his hip. To his left, Equius stood in place, probably sweating under his suit, nervous expression on his face and fidgeting. “Hey, EQ!” he called out.

Equius glanced over and he was definitely pale. “What, Captor?”

“Breath or I'm going to be drifting with a corpse.” he said.

Equius glared, but took a deep breath, visibly relaxing. It was absolutely endearing and Sollux had to strangle a sudden surge of attraction for the other man. Equius had made it very clear over the years that he wasn't interested. “Please, Captor, I'm trying to remain focused here.” he growled.

Sollux shot back, “You're suppose to relax and let it flow in the Drift and not focus, remember. No RABIT chasing.”

“I remember,” came a terse, sharp reply. Silence reigned for a few breaths and Equius suddenly said, “I apologize, I should not have snapped.”

Sollux shrugged. “It's okay. I'm on edge too.”

Equius looked over and said softly, “I hope you don't think any less of me after this.”

He snorted and then laughed. “Please, there's few things that would make me like you less and you're too uptight to do most of them.” Equius paled even further at that and Sollux let his eyes widen. “Oh my god, EQ, you pervert!” he teased, grin on his face.

“Be quiet!” Equius replied, visibly panicking.

“Shit,” Sollux muttered. He had wanted him to relax. “I was kidding, I'm not going to flip out because you did something dirty with your wife or whatever. Chill, EQ, you can't possibly have done that much worse than I have. Don't freak out on me, okay?”

“Captor...”

Sollux looked over at him solemnly. “Hey, after this, think you can call me by my first name instead? It'll be odd for me if you keep calling me Captor.”

Equius opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the tech in the command center. “You two beaches ready to get this shoal on the road? Doc Scratch is getting pretty impatient here!”

“Shut up, Meenah and just do it then!” Sollux shot back irritably at the elder Peixes sister.

“Whatevs, Captor...” she replied flippantly.

The systems lit up and the gender neutral voice of the Polarity's AI said calmly, “Drift sequence initiating.”

They were sucked down into the stream of memories...

 

“ _Hyung!” he called out, running after his brother, “Don't leave me, hyung!”_

_Mituna turned with a scowl at him. “Go back to Ahjumma's, Sollux. You're too little to come with us.”_

_He frowned and whined “Am not!” He was already five and plenty old enough to play with their cousins._

 

“ _Here, hold your palm flat,” his father said gently. “They can't always tell the difference between fingers and food, so you have to be careful.”_

_He looked up at the large beast, a beautiful Egyptian Arabian that was the pride of his father's ranch. The mare eyed back speculatively._

 

_He bowed to the instructor and then to his opponent before going into stance. He was aware of everyone in the dojang watching, from the lowest student to the highest master; all of them interested to see how well the top sabom-nim's youngest son would fare against a much older opponent._

 

_He hated his uncle; he hated having to live in Egypt. He wanted to go back home, to Arizona and fiddle in his workshop (the old stable with the lingering scent of hay and horse) on his projects and machines). “I won't do it again, sir.”_

_His uncle snarled and started to unbuckle the wide leather belt he wore, one that left welts for days. “That's right, even if I have to beat you bloody. Now lean over.”_

 

“ _You can make good money doing this kind of stuff,” his father had said, “Much more than what your old man makes.”_

“ _I want do it because I like it, not because of money,” he scoffed as he plugged in the hard drive, “You always say do what I want and not what Eomma wants.”_

“ _Yeah,” his father replied with a grin, “Just don't let your mother know I said that or she'll yell at me, okay?”_

 

“ _How about you come help me set the table, we need to have some girl talk,” his mother said impishly, secretive smile on her face._

“ _Mother,” he protested, flustering a little bit._

“ _It's fine, dear,” Aradia replied, kissing him on the cheek softly._

_He watched the two walk off arm in arm and his father asked quietly, “Are you asking her tonight, son?”_

_He slid his hand into his pocket to make sure the ring box was still there and nodded._

 

_He pulled his best friend into his lap and kissed his parted lips. Karkat made an angry squawking sound, but leaned forward to wrap his arms around his neck, kissing him back. It was just as nice as kissing a girl, in a different, unique way. They parted after a length of time, panting heavily, and he found himself wanting more._

 

“ _Are you trying to order me around?” she asked with a mock look of surprise as she finished tying off the ropes around his arms._

“ _No, ma'am” he replied, desire deep in his voice._

_She smiled again and dangled the flogger tails over his body. “Good boy. Status?”_

“ _Green, please.” he said as he bowed his head._

 

_He tried to stay strong, tried to keep his face impassive as they lowered two coffins into the ground, the hole in the earth surrounded by military men and women in full dress uniform. Mituna was still in the hospital after the monster's rampage, his injuries looking to be more than just the physical. He had avoided the same only because of a last minute trip with Karkat up to the mountains._

 

“ _Would you like to help fight back?” she asked, “We need all the engineers and robotics specialists that we can.”_

_He traced a finger along the edge of the picture frame that held their wedding photo. It had been over a year since Aradia's death and it still left him numb and cold on the inside. “Yes, I think I would be interested.”_

 

_Mituna glanced over and shook his head before burying his face in his knees. “I'm stupid... I can't remember what Eomma looks like...”_

_His brother started to shake, sobbing into his knees and he crossed the room instantly to hug him. “Hyung, don't. You're just having a bad day. It'll come back to you.”_

“ _Don't leave,” Mituna wailed as he wrapped his arms around Sollux, “I don't want to forget you too.”_

 

_He paused to look at his fellow engineer, irritated with the blank expression hiding behind those ridiculous sunglasses. “What do you want, Strider?”_

“ _Just wondering if you heard the latest rumor. They're building a new Shatterdome in LA next year.”_

 

_The man in the suit dropped a thick file on the table with a loud thump. He went to pull away, but his hands were handcuffed to a ring in the table. He glared and only said “Where's my lawyer?”_

“ _A lawyer isn't going to get you out of this mess,” replied the agent as he sat down across from him. “We have enough proof from the sites and servers you hacked and your computer's hard drives to put you away for life, maybe even convict you for treason.”_

 

The memories receded suddenly, and they found themselves on the other side merged together, sharing the same brain space. Sollux grinned at his Drift partner and got a nervous grin in response. “How's it feel?” Sollux asked.

They considered it for a moment, and Equius answered “It's... very odd.”

“You beaches ready to take your little monster for a spin?” Meenah asked over the intercom.

Irritation spread through their minds and Sollux replied, “We were born ready!”

~.~  


Equius was ashamed to admit it, but he was hiding. He had managed to keep his act together through the test mission and the debriefing afterward, but the instant Scratch dismissed them, he'd fled to his office. He didn't want to talk to Sollux just yet and that was how he found himself in his office, fiddling with an old remote control model car that had a few wires loose in it.

He desperately hoped that no one had noticed his sudden inability to look at Sollux without blushing or sweating. He hadn't realized how deep the connection would be, how much the sharing of memories would be. He hadn't been prepared for the depth of Sollux's twenty eight years; based on his every day actions, Equius had incorrectly assumed that his easy going, teasing, and flirty attitude was due to a carefree life and not a cover for the burdens he bore. Sollux wore his mask well and now Equius could honestly say that he couldn't dislike him even if he tried.

The most damning thing though was the suddenly realization that not only did Equius like Sollux, he was actually attracted to him as well. He'd start to wonder about his unquestioned claim to heterosexuality after Aradia died. When he was in Kodiak for Jaeger development, he had found himself surrounded by hordes of attractive men, young and old, and not so many women. This, however, would be the first time he could honestly say he was attracted to another man for his personality in addition to his appearance.

The door suddenly swung open, without a single knock in warning, and the person in question stormed in, irritated and furious expression on his face. “What the fuck, EQ?” he hissed as he slammed the door shut behind him.

Caught off guard, he did the first thing that came to mind. “Captor, language!” he yelled back.

The red flush on Sollux's face deepened and he shrieked back, “Shut up, asshole! Don't you dare lecture me now. I asked you a damn question.”

Equius stared stupidly at the livid man and the hurt, angry expression on his face that made his heart ache. “What was what?” he asked casually, trying to suppress the urge to make that horrid expression go away.

Sollux bound across the room and grabbed him over his desk by his shirt collar. He pulled Equius down roughly so he had to look into those mismatched eyes. “You, running out of the debriefing room like you couldn't stand to be in my presence one moment longer. Or that you wouldn't look me in the eye or my direction. Does my past really disgust you that much?” His lisp started to become noticable as he got angrier. “Are you going to not acknowledge me even though we shared our thupid memories? After you were tho worried about how I would react? You fucking hypocrite!”

Equius flailed off balance in reaction before he grabbed his shoulders. “Captor, I-”

“Dammit, EQ,” Sollux hissed. “I thought I athked you to call me by my first name.”

Were those tears in his eyes? “Sollux,” he said carefully, the feel of his name off, but surprisingly pleasant on his tongue. The death grip on his collar relaxed slightly. “I apologize, I didn't mean to cause you grief.”

“Ha! Well good job, you methed that up pretty good.” Sollux replied in a slightly deranged tone of voice.

Sollux was leaned over close enough to him that Equius could smell the scent of those disgusting energy drinks he loved and something sinus searingly spicy. “I know,” he replied, dropping his eyes down to where hands twisted in his shirt. “I was just overwhelmed by everything today.” He fought to not blush or become too excited with how possessively Sollux was gripping his shirt. “I wanted to collect myself.”

Suddenly, one hand left his collar to cup his jaw and the thumb gently stroked his cheek. He looked up in shock at the touch. He could see understanding and desire in Sollux's eyes. For half a moment it felt like they were still connected in the Drift because they both leaned forward at the same time and lips pressed together in a sudden tsunami of desire. Equius moaned into the kiss and Sollux responded with a soft hum and the tightening of the hand on his shirt. He tried to pull away, but Sollux growled and yanked him back, crushing their lips together as if he were punishing Equius with kisses. Equius shuddered and let himself be ravaged.

Suddenly, Sollux broke off. They both panted, breathless as they looked at each other. “Do... you really want this” Equius asked shyly.

“Ehehe,” Sollux chuckled airly. “I wath... was going to ask you the same,” he said, carefully pronouncing his words as he ran his thumb over Equius's cheek. “Since you never gave any sign of interest before today.”

He leaned into Sollux's hand, his skin was soft and warm on his face. “I didn't know, Sollux,” he sighed. “I only just realized how attractive you were after we Drifted today.”

“Ouch, EQ,” Sollux replied with a frown on his face. “Thanks for that vote of confidence.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't-” Sollux cut him off with a kiss, pulling him forcefully across the desk. Equius sighed and kissed him back, their tongues licking at lips before Sollux plunged into his mouth. Equius gasped and moaned. Sollux let go of the collar of his shirt, and somehow managed to not end the kiss as he swept everything on the top of Equius's desk off to the floor. Equius pulled back in irritation. “What do you think-”

He was cut off again, this time by a hand clamped down over his tender lips. “Quiet, EQ, I want your ass on this desk, now.” Sollux commanded, the look in his eyes daring him to disobey.

He swallowed hard and climbed on the cleared desk as ordered and Sollux pushed and pulled him until he was sitting on the edge , legs wrapped around Sollux's waist and arms around his shoulders. Sollux grinned and flexed himself against Equius. Equius moaned as he was suddenly made quite aware of the other man's interest in him. They kissed again and Equius was drowning in the warmth of Sollux, tongues and hands desperately frantic to touch every inch of each other. Someone was gasping 'please' over and over and Equius realized that he was the one to sound so desperate and wanton. Sollux kissed every inch of his skin that he could reach, hands skirting under the hem of his shirt to trace delicately along the waist of his pants.

It was too much and had been too long since he last felt the touch of another and he could feel the tension building in his body far faster than it should have. “Please, oh God, wait Sollux!” he gasped, trying to get him to slow down.

Sollux bit his collar bone once before leaning up to say sharply in his ear. “Geez, already, EQ? Can't even wait for the clothes to come off? I thought the younger guy suppose to be the one with the hair trigger.”

“It's been a few years!” he wailed as Sollux did not stop rubbing against his body, sweating and blushing with the sensuality of it all.

“Then why the hell are you waiting, dumbass?” Sollux replied as he reached up and pulled Equius's hair hard in synch with a particularly hard thrust.

That was it; Equius was done and he came with a strangled sob and wail, holding on to Sollux like he was a life raft and he was adrift in the sea. “Oh god, thank you,” he sobbed into Sollux's chest.

Sollux grunted in response and shoved a hand down his own pants to quickly stroke himself into completion, kissing Equius savagely before he too came with a soft moan and a full body shudder. They leaned against each other, panting as they tried to catch their breath. “Fuck yes,” Sollux sighed.

Equius didn't even consider scolding him for his language, his thoughts scattered as he held Sollux in his arms. “I apologize,” he finally said.

“What for?” Sollux asked tersely.

“I, er, usually don't finish-”

“Oh, shut up,” Sollux groaned, planting his face in Equius's shoulder. “Unless this was a one time thing, and it better not be, you can make it up to me tonight.”

~.~  


Luck was never a thing Sollux could count on, and things had been going pretty well for him over the last few days. So of course, three days after their first successful Drift together, an event occurred and a category IV Kaiju was heading towards San Diego.

“They're calling this one 'Reaver',” murmured one of the pilots for the Jaeger Bonnie Revenge.

“Yeah? Hope that's not foreshadowing or anything,” muttered his partner.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” called out Scratch, bringing the briefing meeting to order. “We don't have much time so let's go over the details quickly. Category Four, nicknamed Reaver, on course towards San Diego. I want all three Jaegers out there, ready.

“Sir!” called out one of the pilots for the third Jaeger, Evening Gale, “Are you sure you want to send the Polarity out with a green team?”

Sollux glared at the man and started to open his mouth, but Scratch cut him off. “They've done better with their training that you and Jasper ever did, so yes, I do want to send them out.” Scratch glanced at Sollux, his gaze telling him to keep his mouth shut. “I want Revenge and Gale out front though and keep the Polarity in reserve in case the Kaiju gets around them. The cryptozoologists think it's a faster moving Kaiju, so be careful.”

They were dismissed to suit up and get ready for the mission. Sollux's stomach was a mess of nerves and he was really starting to wish he'd had something beside spicy ddeokbokki for breakfast. They had been doing very well with the simulations and training, but that was like saying you were prepared to be a surgeon after playing Surgeon Simulator for three days straight.

“Are you going to be okay?” Equius asked quietly, worried look on his face.

“No,” he replied honestly, “I'm about to throw up or pass out. I'm not sure which.”

“We're going to be fine,” Equius replied, soothingly, placing one hand on Sollux's shoulder.

Sollux snickered. “Careful there, EQ, a hand on the shoulder? People might talk.” Equius pushed him gently in response and he laughed, nerves defusing slightly. “Then again, they already do. Did you know that the rest of the crew had a betting pool on when we were getting together?”

Equius blinked in surprise and scowled. “I doubt that.”

“They did though!” Sollux insisted, “RX and DR were running it for the last two years.”

“Preposterous,” Equius replied, breaking out into a near sweat. “And were? Did you tell...”

“I didn't,” Sollux replied, “but you do know that your office walls are made of mostly plexiglass, right?”

Equius's jaw dropped and he blushed at the implication. “I... uh, this is not the best thing to be talking about. We have a mission to focus on.” Sollux laughed again, but let the topic drop. They finished their preparations and headed to the conn-pod for the Polarity.

Once they were settled in, neural handshake firmly in place and ready, the airlift crew took off, leaving them to wait. Sollux was reminded of something his father had said, 'They rush and rush you to get into place and then you have to wait for something to happen'.

“A horrible adage, but true none the less,” Equius said quietly and Sollux realized that he had said it out loud. “They say the wait before action is the worst part.”

“Approaching drop location,” came the lift team's lead over the radio, “Brace yourself everyone.”

There was a horrifying moment of free fall and they were suddenly in the waters of the San Diego Bay, the sun setting on the horizon quickly. “That's going to be a pain,” he muttered as they moved in the water towards the point they were to wait at.

“We expect to be in place in two minutes, Command,” said the voice of Revenge's lead pilot. “What's the ETA for contact?”

“Five minutes, it's coming up pretty quick.” came Meenah's voice, serious in the middle of a mission.

Tense moments passed, the chatter on the radio falling silent as the everyone waiting. “Where the hell is it?” asked Gale's pilot after a very tense four minutes passed.

“Open your flippering eyes,” Meenah spat out. “It's right on top of you!”

There was a burst of static and noise over the radio and they saw Revenge suddenly topple into the water. Someone cursed over the radio and Gale started to move over to where Revenge had fallen under, the water of the bay churning around it's legs. Revenge suddenly resurfaced, grasping a slender Kaiju in a headlock, it's long scythe-like arms flailing in the air for a moment before the creature whipped them around, and knocked the Revenge loose. The Revenge fell back and Gale surged forward, swinging both fists at the Kaiju. It dropped underneath the punches smoothly and popped back up like a jack-in-the-box, catching Gale in the chest and wrapping its forearms around the mech's left leg, and twisted. There was a horrible shriek of metal that they could hear at their reserve point and Gale dropped below the surface of the water, the leg sheered clean off. “We're down!” yelled Gale's lead pilot over the radio, “It's reflexes are ridiculous.”

“Revenge! Try to lead it away from Gale towards Polarity,” called out Meenah. “Gale, abandon the Jaeger, get out of there! Polarity, you need to get in there.”

Revenge grabbed the Kaiju from behind again and pulled it away from Gale with a hip throw. The Kaiju sprawling into the water towards Polarity's position. “Ready for this?” Equius asked out loud, but the question reverberated in their shared brain space and they nodded in agreement as they started to move forward towards the fight.

Revenge was a quicker Jaeger than Gale and its pilots kept pushing the Kaiju back further and further away from Gale, but it couldn't land more than a glancing blow. The Kaiju ducked and weaved pretty agilely for a giant monster. It was okay though, they thought, they knew how to deal with opponents like this. “Revenge,” Sollux said over the radio, “We have to trap it and then counter it's attacks and not just pummel it like idiots.”

“What the hell do you think we're doing?” Revenge snarled.

“Pummeling it like idiots,” Sollux muttered under his breath, expressing their shared opinion.

“They're going to get knocked down again at this rate,” Equius said, eyes watching the screen.

“It's alright, we got this.” They nodded together and moved, reaching the fight just as the Kaiju whipped those long arms around again and knocked Revenge back into the sea. It turned, saw them and bristled while shrieking defiance to the sky, daring them to attack.

They didn't attack, didn't charge in like the other two Jaegers did. That tactic wasn't going to work here. The Kaiju shook its head, almost like it was confused, and rushed at them. They sidestepped a bit to the left and grabbed the creature's arm as it barreled by, unable to stop suddenly from its forward momentum, and spun it around in a classic joint lock. They didn't see any reason to stop the motion; this wasn't a human opponent after all. The arm they had grabbed snapped and they pulled back. The Kaiju bellowed in pain and lashed out, clipping their Jaeger's shoulder and causing them to let go of the arm.

It didn't get far though; Revenge was back up and grabbed it from behind to lift it up and then slam it down over its metal knee. There was crack and the creature lashed out with its one good arm to strike at the chest of the Revenge. The scythe-like arm dung in deep just below where the conn-pod sat and the whole Jaeger just shut down and collapsed into the waters. They made a mental note to tease the Revenge's pilots about it later and Sollux calmly said over the radio, “Revenge is down, their pod got disconnected. The Kaiju's disabled too.”

“God kelp us all, just krill the damned thing,” Meenah muttered.

They deployed the Polarity's punch blade and it took only half a breath to heat it up enough for the metal to glow. With a single, fluid motion, they drove the super heated blade into the things skull. Muscles spasmed, limbs flailed, but it was most decidedly dead.

~.~  


The crew of the Null Polarity was having a party. Equius decided he wasn't up for such a social gathering and was hiding in his office; at least, he hoped it was still his office. Scratch wouldn't confirm or deny if he was putting the two of them on permanent pilot duty or just until he found other people to pilot the Polarity and let him and Sollux get back to what they did best as support staff.

The door opened, letting in a loud remix of some horrible pop song. Sollux, looking harried, slipped into the room, a laptop tucked under his arm. He shut the door quickly, visibly sighing with relief at the serene silence of the room. “Hey, EQ,” he said as he walked over to the desk and put his laptop down on the edge. “I hope you don't mind. RX won't let me leave the pit and the last thing I need is a migraine cause by DR's shitty remixes of porn- I mean, pop stars trying to sing.”

“Why would I mind?” he asked, making notations on the robotics sketch he was working on. “We know each other very well, which by the way, I hope means we've still got something going on.”

Sollux laughed, “Of course we do. Who doesn't want to date this amazing specimen of nerd?” He slid around the desk to stand next to Equius. When Equius swiveled his chair to face him, he leaned down to kiss him gently. Equius sighed and leaned into the gentle kiss, responding in kind. When they parted, Sollux grinned sheepishly and moved away from him. “Sorry, I know, no sloppy makeouts in the office.”

“A kiss is not the same, and I would not mind at all to get them more often,” Equius replied, with a hint of blush on his cheeks and a firm voice.

Sollux sat with a chuckle and changed the topic. “Scratch says that it's going to take a month to repair Revenge and almost three to fix Gale's leg. Polarity is going to be the only active Jaeger unless he can get Lima or Anchorage to loan us one.”

“So we're going to be piloting still for the foreseeable future?”

“Yup,” Sollux replied, “It won't be forever though; both RX and DR threatened to quit if we were made the permanent pilots. Something about not wanting to have to take care of our little monster.”

“They're over-exaggerating, Polarity isn't that bad.” Equius replied with a sniff.

“Ehehe, Polarity is totally that bad and I can't wait to see her future pilots crying like babies when they first pilot her.”

Equius cracked a little smile at that thought. Maybe Sollux's sense of humor was starting to rub off on him, because that was the most amusing thought he'd had all day.

 


	2. Special Features

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character Background Details of the Main Characters and full scenes written for the Drift Sequence.

**Character Profiles**

 

**Sollux Captor**

_Biographical Information_

Born: June 2, 1993  
Family: Silvester Captor (father, deceased), Ju-Hyun (주현) Captor (mother, deceased), Mituna Captor (brother), Latula Captor (sister-in-law), Sa-Rang (사랑) Bae (배) (maternal aunt)

_Physical Description_

Hair: Dark Brown  
Eyes: Left eye - brown, right eye - hazel  
Height: 5'6"  
Weight: 135 lbs

_History_

Sollux is the youngest of two, born two years after his brother Mituna. His American father was stationed in Korea at the Osan Air Force Base and meet his mother while she was teaching hapkido to interested members of the military and their families. Sollux lived in Korea until 2003 when his father was stationed in Washington, making him fluent in both Korean and English. One of his hobbies was computers, which his father encouraged, much to his mother's dismay. She relented only with the agreement that he do some kind physical hobby as well and he picked to learn hapkido from her.

With a full scholarship, Sollux attended Stanford University for Programming Language and Computer Science for two years before K-day occured in 2013. Both his father and mother died in the attack trying to help others to safety, but his brother survived. Unfortunately, his brother developed mental and emotional disorders due to exposure to Kaiju toxins, leaving him somewhat unable to function in a normal workplace. Sollux manages to finish his degree and ends up helping to support his brother with his sister-in-law.

Unfortunately, the less legal of his online activities attract the attention of the FBI and in 2017, he was arrested and facing charges of hacking, corporate espionage, and treason. Before they could take him to court, the Pan Pacific Defense Corps stepped in and recruited him, impressed with his relatively benign hack of their computer systems. They put him to work immediately, first at Kodiak on the Mark IV project and then at the newly built Los Angeles Shatterdome, writing the code for the Jaeger Null Polarity and rewritting the programs for other Jaeger and support systems.

 

**Equius Zahhak**

_Biographical Information_

Born: December 10, 1983  
Family: Aradia Megido Zahhak (wife, deceased), Ausar Zahhak (father), Nailah Zahhak (mother), Sebak Zahhak (paternal uncle, deceased)

_Physical Description_

Hair: Black  
Eyes: Hazel  
Height: 5'11"  
Weight: 185 lbs

_History_

Equius is an only child, son to Egyptian immigrants that fled Egypt because of their Christian religion. They settled in Phoenix, Arizona, purchasing a ranch to raise horses on, in 1981, two years before Equius was born. He developed an interest in building thing and mechanics at a young age and his father let him set up a workshop in an old barn when he was eight. Disaster struck the ranch as illness spread through the herds. While trying to save their ranch, Equius's parents sent him to live with his uncle in Cairo, Egypt. They were initially unaware of the abusive environment the uncle created, but once they found out, they brought him home immediately. His father encouraged him to take up boxing where he could learn to safely vent his emotions.

After high school, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology for Engineering and Robotics. While in school, he meet his future wife Aradia, who was studying anthropology. While visiting his family just before he earned his doctorate, he proposed to her and she agreed to marry him. They moved to Los Angeles after they both finished their doctorates and lived together happily until K-day. Aradia was attending a workshop in San Francisco and perished in the attack.

Equius loses interest in the world after his wife's death until a young woman named Nepeta from the Pan Pacific Defense Corps comes to offer him a position building giant robots to fight back against the Kaiju. After much thought, he accepts and moves to Kodiak to help design Jaegers. During this time frame, he develops a father/daughter like relationship with Nepeta. When the PPDC opens the Los Angeles Shatterdome, he accepts a transfer to become the lead crew chief and mechanic of the Jaeger Null Polarity, which he worked closely with Sollux Captor to develop.

 

* * *

 

**Full Drift Scenes**

_Sollux, Age 5, Seoul, Korea_

“Hyung!” he called out, running after his brother, “Don't leave me, hyung!”

Mituna turned with a scowl at him. “Go back to Ahjumma's, Sollux. You're too little to come with us.”

He frowned and whined “Am not!” He was already five and plenty old enough to play with their cousins.

One of their cousins muttered in Korean under their breath, “He's going to tattle on us, Tuna. Your stupid little brother can't come.”

“I will not!” he replied in the same language; he wasn't stupid, he knew exactly what they were saying. “Please let me come, hyung.”

Mituna sighed and pulled him away from their cousins, back towards their aunt's house. “I'll buy you candy if you go back.”

He tried to not cry, but his lip quibbled any way. “I don't want candy, I want to play with hyung and our cousins!”

  
_Equius, Age 6, Phoenix, Arizona, United States_

“Here, hold your palm flat,” his father said gently. “They can't always tell the difference between fingers and food, so you have to be careful.”

He looked up at the large beast, a beautiful Egyptian Arabian that was the pride of his father's ranch. The mare eyed back speculatively. His father was a calming presence behind him, one hand on his back. He grinned and held his hand up flat, the slice of apple resting on the palm. The horse's ear pricked up in interest and she delicately lipped at the hand before inhaling the treat. “Father,” he whispered in awe, aware of his father's warning to not spook the majestic creature.

The horse exhaled with a huff and nosed him looking for more treats. He laughed and petted under his father's watchful gaze.

  
_Sollux, Age 8, Osan Air Force Base, Songtan, Korea_

He bowed to the instructor and then to his opponent before going into stance. He was aware of everyone in the dojang watching, from the lowest student to the highest master; all of them interested to see how well the top sabom-nim's youngest son would fare against a much older opponent.

He didn't mind learning hapkido; it was time he got to spend with his mother since it was she that insisted that he not spend all of his time on the computer. His hyung was more into skateboarding and wasn't interested in learning at all, so she had been thrilled when he told her. The expectations from the other instructors and students was irritating though.

“Shee jak!” the instructor called and he moved.

  
_Equius, Age 10, Cairo, Egypt_

“I will not tolerate such disrespect!” roared his uncle, hand moving to slap him across the face. Head reeling and cheek stinging, he ducked his head down, tears welling in his eyes. “Did my brother not teach you to honor your elders?”

“Yes, Uncle,” he replied, almost sullenly.

“That's it? 'Yes, uncle'? Is that really all you're going to say?” the older man raged furiously, like a nest of stirred up hornets. “So ungrateful, after I graciously agreed to take care of you while your father and mother work themselves to the bone to restore their ranch. How very unbecoming of one of the Zahhak family! America has made my brother too soft hearted to do what needs to be done.”

“Sorry, Uncle,” he sulked. He hated his uncle; he hated having to live in Egypt. He wanted to go back home, to Arizona and fiddle in his workshop (the old stable with the lingering scent of hay and horse) on his projects and machines.) “I won't do it again, sir.”

His uncle snarled and started to unbuckle the wide leather belt he wore, one that left welts for days. “That's right, even if I have to beat you bloody. Now lean over.”

  
_Sollux, Age 11, Spokane, Washington, United States_

He turned on the computer with a grin and logged in. It wasn't the best system in the world, but it was still a pretty sweet set up. His father had helped him after work to build it from scratch, telling him about the computers they used in the military. “You can make good money doing this kind of stuff,” his father had said, “Much more than what your old man makes.”

“I want do it because I like it, not because of money,” he scoffed as he plugged in the hard drive, “You always say to do what I want and not what Eomma wants.”

“Yeah,” his father replied with a grin, “Just don't let your mother know I said that or she'll yell at me, okay?”

“Okay, Dad, I won't.”

  
_Sollux, Age 16, San Francisco, California, United States_

“I guess I just don't understand it at all!” exclaimed his friend Karkat. “Why are girls so fucking stupid over the idea of two guys kissing? It's not like they'd be invited to join in or anything!”

He looked over at his friend and inwardly admired him: the angular lines of his face, the permanent scowl, the ragged hair. He grinned and replied. “I don't know, KK. Want to find out?”

Karkat paused the game they were playing suddenly and looked at him oddly. “I'm not reading their lame excuses for comic books with a thin veneer of pseudo romance drizzled over it like a yaoi sundae... Just no, how could you suggest that I subject myself to such poorly written drivel?”

His friend was so stupidly obtuse sometimes. “No, dumbass, I mean let's find out what the two guys kissing deal is by trying it ourselves.”

Karkat's expression went blank and he could almost see his brain processing the statement. “Okay, fine,” he finally replied, tossing the controller on the couch next to him. “We'll just casually- Hey!”

He pulled his best friend into his lap and kissed his parted lips. Karkat made an angry squawking sound, but leaned forward to wrap his arms around his neck, kissing him back. It was just as nice as kissing a girl, in a different, unique way. They parted after a length of time, panting heavily, and he found himself wanting more.

  
_Equius, Age 26, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States_

“Father, mother, I'd like you to meet Aradia,” he said, introducing his girlfriend.

“It's so nice to finally meet you!” Aradia said cheerfully with a little wave of the hand that wasn't holding his.

His mother smiled and pulled her warmly into a hug. “You're so lovely! Your hair is beautiful.”

“Thank you!” Aradia replied.

“How about you come help me set the table, we need to have some girl talk,” his mother said impishly, secretive smile on her face.

“Mother,” he protested, flustering a little bit.

“It's fine, dear,” Aradia replied, kissing him on the cheek softly.

He watched the two walk off arm in arm and his father asked quietly, “Are you asking her tonight, son?”

He slid his hand into his pocket to make sure the ring box was still there and nodded.

  
_Equius, Age 28, Los Angeles, California, United States_

“I know that you want this, right?” his wife asked, gentle, teasing smile on her face as she carefully twisted the rope around him.

“Yes, please,” he moaned, shivering in desire. “Use me.”

“Are you trying to order me around?” she asked with a mock look of surprise as she finished tying off the ropes around his arms.

“No, ma'am” he replied, desire deep in his voice.

She smiled again and dangled the flogger tails over his body. “Good boy. Status?”

“Green, please.” he said as he bowed his head.

  
_Sollux, Age 20, Oakland, California, United States_

He tried to stay strong, tried to keep his face impassive as they lowered two coffins into the ground, the hole in the earth surrounded by military men and women in full dress uniform. Mituna was still in the hospital after the monster's rampage, his injuries looking to be more than just the physical. He had avoided the same only because of a last minute trip with Karkat up to the mountains.

A uniformed man approached him, offering the folded flag that had been draped around his father's coffin. “Your father was a good man,” he said. “He died protecting his fellow countrymen. You should be proud.”

He held himself together for only a moment longer and next he knew, tears trailed his cheeks to spill on the black suit he wore.

  
_Equius, Age 31, Los Angeles, California, United States_

Their home was quiet, a washed out gray of the warmth they had shared together. She had been his everything, his light and love, and now she was gone. There hadn't been anything left to identify, his beloved consumed in the hell of the kaiju attack on San Francisco.

They had been on the phone when it happened, she on a break from a workshop on digging technology, when it happened. “Hey handsome, I think I need to go,” she said as the cell reception suddenly began to develop static. “There's some kind of commotion going on outside.”

“Okay,” he replied. “I love you and be safe.”

“I love y-” and the phone had cut off.

He curled up on himself and fought to prevent the tears collecting in his eyes. He was was saved by a firm knocking on the door. Stumbling, he made his way to the door and answered it wordlessly.

There was a cute young woman, feline grin on her face. “Hello, are you Doctor Equius Zahhak?” she asked. He only nodded in response. “I'm Nepeta Leijon with the personnel department for the Pan Pacific Defense Corps, can I have a moment of your time?”

He frowned at her but opened the door to let her in. She entered and walked around the dim living room, peering at the picture frames of happier times. “What do you want, Miss Leijon?” he asked as he moved into the room next to her.

“Would you like to help fight back?” she asked, “We need all the engineers and robotics specialists that we can.”

He traced a finger along the edge of the picture frame that held their wedding photo. It had been over a year since Aradia death and it still left him numb and cold on the inside. “Yes, I think I would be interested.”

She smiled and handed him a business card. “Call once you have your affairs in order. Our facility is on Kodiak and we'd like you to be there within a week.”

  
_Sollux, Age 22, Sacramento, California, United States_

“Thanks for coming over,” Latula said as he entered the small apartment she shared with his brother. “He's not having a good week and I can't get him to talk to me in English.”

He hugged his sister in law carefully. “It's fine, he is my brother. Thank you for not flaking and leaving him.”

She smiled. “Never, he's still the man that I love. He's in our bedroom.”

He nodded and headed back through the apartment. Opening the door, he found Mituna sitting in a rocking chair, legs pulled up, staring with puffy red eyes out the window. “Hyung? You okay?” he asked in Korean

Mituna glanced over and shook his head before burying his face in his knees. “I'm stupid... I can't remember what Eomma looks like...”

His brother started to shake, sobbing into his knees and he crossed the room instantly to hug him. “Hyung, don't. You're just having a bad day. It'll come back to you.”

“Don't leave,” Mituna wailed as he wrapped his arms around Sollux, “I don't want to forget you too.”

  
_Equius, Age 34, Kodiak Island, Alaska, United States_

“Zahhak, got a moment?”

He paused to look at his fellow engineer, irritated with the blank expression hiding behind those ridiculous sunglasses. “What do you want, Strider?”

“Just wondering if you heard the latest rumor. They're building a new Shatterdome in LA next year.”

“And I care why?” he replied.

The blond shrugged. “Thought maybe you might want a change of scenery. You've been stuck here since they opened and at this point, you can probably phone your ideas for future designs to me.”

He paused, unsure if he wanted to move back to the city they had lived in and reopen old wounds. “I don't know, I'm fine right here, working.”

“Just thought I would mention it,” Strider replied with a shrug, “You should shake things up a bit and there's more chances off this rock.”

“Why don't you go then?” he shot back.

“You kidding? Only Kodiak is cool enough for a Strider.”

  
_Sollux, Age 24, Seattle, Washington, United States_

“Mister Captor, I hope you realize what a perilous situation you're in.”

He glared up at the suit; he was probably FBI or CIA. The man in the suit dropped a thick file on the table with a loud thump. He went to pull away, but his hands were handcuffed to a ring in the table. He glared and only said “Where's my lawyer?”

“A lawyer isn't going to get you out of this mess,” replied the agent as he sat down across from him. “We have enough proof from the sites and servers you hacked and your computer's hard drives to put you away for life, maybe even convict you for treason.”

He pressed his lips together tightly and looked down to play with the links of the cuffs. He wasn't going to give them the rope to hang him with.

There was a knock at the door and the agent stood up angrily to walk over and leave the room. He flipped off the door after it shut and left him to his thoughts. He didn't know why they cared about his activities; it wasn't like he'd stolen any secrets or messed up anything. In a few cases, he'd actually been pretty nice and left the system admins and programmers suggestions on how to beef up their security and programs.

The door opened again and a curvy woman with hair down to her knees in one glorious wave walked in. He snickered and openly ogled her. “Are you my lawyer?”

“Nope!” she replied, eyeing him back with a grin. “My employers were reel-ly impressed by your hacking into the PPDC's network. I'm here to offer you a job!”


End file.
